The 1908 distance becomes the world standard
The IAAF Congress settles on the London 1908 figure — 26 miles 385 yards, 42.195 km — as the standard marathon distance. Olympic marathons had been run at about 40 km in 1896, about 40.2 km in 1912 and about 42.75 km in 1920, so no time run before this is directly comparable with any run after it. The choice creates the marathon record as a meaningful object, and it creates it out of the geometry of one English course.
Historical — it happened, and the record is settled.
Subjects
- The marathon distance (42.195 km / 26 miles 385 yards) · concept · not located
- World Athletics · organisation · not located
Evidence
Partly verified — Core facts are sourced; some optional detail is deliberately absent.
Marathon — discipline page
The marathon distance is 42.195 km / 26 miles 385 yards, taken from the 1908 London Olympic course and set as the standard by the IAAF in 1921. V55 verification basis: worldathletics.org was refused by this session's network egress proxy, so the page was read only through attributed search summaries; the 1921 congress minute was not seen.
World Athletics · Partly verified
https://worldathletics.org/disciplines/road-running/marathon
Recorded on The marathon distance (42.195 km / 26 miles 385 yards)
- The 1908 Olympic marathon fixes 26 miles 385 yards
- The international federation is founded
- The 1908 distance becomes the world standard
- Boston lengthens its course and moves the start to Hopkinton
- World Athletics regulates the racing shoe
- Kelvin Kiptum runs 2:00:35 in Chicago
- Ruth Chepngetich runs 2:09:56 in Chicago
- Tigst Assefa sets a women-only world record in London
- The first sub-two-hour marathon in a record-eligible race
Related
Related because they share a subject in the Atlas — never because the text looks similar.
- The first sub-two-hour marathon in a record-eligible race · 2026-04-26
- Tigst Assefa sets a women-only world record in London · 2025
- Ruth Chepngetich runs 2:09:56 in Chicago · 2024-10-13
- Kelvin Kiptum runs 2:00:35 in Chicago · 2023-10-08
- World Athletics regulates the racing shoe · 2020-01-31
- Boston lengthens its course and moves the start to Hopkinton · 1924
- The international federation is founded · 1912–1913
- The 1908 Olympic marathon fixes 26 miles 385 yards · 1908-07-24